Bandits look to keep up perfect start vs. BlackJacks
By Matthew Winick • July 3, 2021
The Fraser Valley Bandits (3-0) will look to maintain their perfect record as they take on the Ottawa BlackJacks at the Abbotsford Centre at 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET.
Three straight wins by an average of over 20 points per game have the squad looking like early-season championship threats. Although the Bandits have benefitted from a lengthy home stretch to begin the year, there is no doubt that the team’s success is here to stay.
Their opponents, the Ottawa BlackJacks (1-2), are looking to play spoiler on Saturday. Flip-flopping wins and losses early in the season, the BlackJacks are looking to cement themselves in the middle of the pack.
Bandits buy-in
Although Bandits head coach David Singleton is in his first year at the helm, the Fraser Valley system is nothing new for him. Singleton was an assistant for last year’s head coach, Kyle Julius, who opted to remain in Taiwan, where he coaches year-round, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
One of Singleton’s major takeaways from his season with Julius – which led the team to a surprising championship game run, was Julius’ ability to get his players to buy-in to his system. It’s an approach that Singleton has successfully replicated this year.
Although Fraser Valley leads the CEBL in points per game, it doesn’t have any player in the top five individually in scoring. In fact, the Bandits don’t have a single 20-point per game scorer. Rather, they possess nine players averaging at least seven points.
“The buy-in’s been great. I think it’s a combination of guys like Marek (Klassen) and Malcom (Duvivier) returning to tell these guys exactly what it meant and what it was last year,” said Singleton earlier in the season, “And then the new faces, they’re out to prove themselves. In order to do that, you have to buy-in.”
Man in the Middle
Although Brandon Gilbeck may not lead the Bandits in scoring, his impact defensively may be equally as dominant. The former Western Illinois star has cemented himself as the CEBL’s elite shot blocker just three games into the year.
Gilbeck already has 10 blocks, including a game with five rejections alone. No other player in the league has accumulated more than five throughout the entire season. His impact goes beyond blocked shots too. At 7’0” tall, Gilbeck alters the shot of virtually any attempt in the paint.
Gilbeck’s presence is a major reason for Fraser Valley allowing only 73.6 points per game – also tops in the league. So long as he keeps protecting the rim at this rate, the Bandits will be tough to score on all season.
Familiar Faces
When the BlackJacks roll into Abbotsford, B.C. for Saturday’s game, multiple players on their roster will have previously worn the jersey of their opponents. Junior Cadougan and Kyle Johnson both played with the Bandits during the 2020 CEBL Summer Series, while Abbotsford native Joel Friesen played with the club in 2019.
For Cadougan and Johnson especially, their knowledge of the Singleton/Julius system should come in handy. Cadougan was the starting point guard last season – a position he’s been tasked with Ottawa as well, and his ability to run Fraser Valley’s offence may play a large role in stopping it too.
Given the way the Bandits have played this season, any advantage that the BlackJacks and head coach Charles Dubé-Brais can gain would go a long way to handing the CEBL’s only 3-0 team its first loss of the year.
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A league created by Canadians for Canadians, the CEBL has the highest percentage of Canadian players of any professional league in the country, with 75 percent of its current rosters being Canadians. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. The only First Division Professional League Partner of Canada Basketball, the CEBL season typically runs from May through August. Head to CEBL.ca for more information or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.
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The Vancouver Bandits have signed 6-foot-9 forward and Surrey, BC product Majok Gum for the 2026 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season. An attendee of 2026 Training Camp, Gum competed for the Bandits during the 2026 preseason and appeared in two games during the 2025 CEBL regular season. Gum began the 2025-26 overseas season in Germany with BÖRGEL Ballers Ibbenbüren before transferring to BK Amager in Denmark's first division, Basketligaen, where he averaged 14.9 points and 11.6 rebounds per game across 19 games played. At the collegiate level, Gum played five seasons at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont. In 117 games (41 starts), he averaged 4.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.6 blocks while shooting 46.5 per cent from the field. His 52 career blocks ranked him sixth all time in Golden Hawks program history. An alumnus of Byrne Creek Secondary in Burnaby, B.C., Gum helped lead the Bulldogs to a second place finish at the 2018 BC 3A Boys Basketball Provincial Championship, while also earning Best Defensive Player honours at the tournament. Gum will wear number 4 for the Bandits.
Physio District is proud to partner with the Vancouver Bandits as the organization’s Official Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation Provider. Led by Director of Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation Vic Sanghera and Physiotherapist Neil Nijjar, the partnership will support the Bandits with comprehensive injury management, rehabilitation, performance optimization, recovery, and return-to-play services throughout the CEBL season. With extensive experience working in high-performance sport, amateur and professional athletics, and international competition environments, Physio District brings an integrated approach focused on athlete availability, performance support, and evidence-informed care through manual therapy, movement analysis, and corrective exercise principles. In collaboration with the Bandits performance staff, the partnership will also incorporate advanced athlete monitoring and performance technologies through Hawkins Dynamics systems, including force plate testing and TruStrength performance assessment tools, to support rehabilitation progression, performance profiling, and return-to-play decision-making. Physio District is committed to helping athletes perform at their highest level while supporting long-term health, recovery, and durability throughout the demands of a professional basketball season. Physio District is excited to support the Vancouver Bandits organization and contribute to a high-performance environment both on and off the court.
The Vancouver Bandits were unable to find consistent offense against the Edmonton Stingers, suffering a 91-78 defeat Saturday night at the Edmonton Expo Centre. The game started with both teams going blow for blow in scoring, until the Stingers began to pull away with three-pointers from Samage Teel and Michael Nuga. The Stingers applied overwhelming defensive pressure, slowing down the Bandits up-tempo offence. The Bandits got into a rhythm in the second quarter, chipping away at the deficit and out-pacing the Stingers defense. The Stingers went cold offensively as they approached half time, going a full three minutes without scoring. That dry spell for the Stingers took place during a 19-6 run for the Bandits in that quarter, as they defended aggressively and found more space on the attack. Jalen House shot 8 for 9 in the first half at the free throw line, while Tevian Jones used his explosive athleticism to score 16 points. The Bandits took the lead on free throws from reigning Canadian Player of the Year, Tyrese Samuel, who finished with a team-leading 13 rebounds. The second quarter ended with the Bandits on top, 42-38. The Stingers responded in the third quarter with gritty, physical defense, while using the full shot clock on offense. The Bandits couldn’t build momentum, allowing 33 points and surrendering the lead. The Bandits flirted with a comeback in the fourth, shrinking the Stingers’ lead to seven points, but were unable to capitalise. House led the game in scoring with 27 points, but he was disappointed with the defensive effort from the Bandits. “We were letting them get [points] too easily in the paint, easy threes.” Vancouver head coach Kyle Julius said “our defensive effort was poor everywhere,” calling tonight’s game “one of our worst performances in two to three years.” The success in the second quarter came from the Bandits “playing good defense, playing hard,” said House. “That’s obviously why we shot up and got that three point lead going into half time, but we got away from it.” The Stingers big man Dain Dainja put up 25 points and 14 rebounds in over 29 minutes, all of which led his team. Vancouver falls to 1-1, and goes down 0-1 in the home-and-home series. Vancouver will play Edmonton again on Friday, May 22 for their Home Opener at Envision Financial Court at the Langley Events Centre. Tickets are available for purchase at this link . Box Score https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2798728
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